Cooking is like anxiety

 I think cooking makes everything taste better. I am able to control what goes into my food. Which is a big thing with anxiety. Control. 


Cooking is therapeutic for me. And when I am on campus, without a kitchen, it makes it hard to control that anxiety. It makes it hard to control what I eat and make what I want.


Besides the control I have while cooking, I like the possibilities. I rarely measure while cooking or baking. And when people hear that I don’t measure, I get weird stares. I do write down my recipes and follow them, but I see the measurements as a suggestion. I always keep adding things. 


Cooking has led me to a lot of comfort foods that I have latched onto. I know I will like them no matter what's going on.


Throughout the next few posts or maybe many, I will be sharing foods that I make a lot. Foods that I make when I may not be craving anything and I know I like them or foods that have some meaning to them. Foods that I like to make with my family.


I find that when I make food with others it's a lot more stressful, but when dealing with anxiety and wanting control, I have to realize when there are parts of a situation I cannot control. And when to be okay with that or how to accept that.


Just because I cannot control every aspect of what I cook, doesn’t make it bad.


Cooking has helped me deal with my anxiety and understand it more. It has taught me a lot of patience. 


Comments

  1. Tricia RayerFebruary 5, 2024 at 9:11 AM

    I love to cook and bake and I also have found it as a therapeutic time to destress. I also personally go by eye of measurement for cooking but always measure out for baking. In cooking I do find some ingredients are too much or to little to my taste so like you I like the control of how much I add. My journey of cooking has grown to where I am more comfortable to making more complicated dishes along with helping others learn. I hope your journey through food is happy and a comforting place to be.

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